Can Am or Polaris…..

Going to be in the market for a wheeler here in the near future and with my research have narrowed it down to the 2 following bikes, Can am Outlander XT 850, and the Polaris Sportsman 850 XP. Whatever way I lean they will be getting a set of tracks to go along with them. I have ridding both can am and polaris, but they were both around 2010 machines, so not sure I can make any decision based on that info. Both look to have a great machine and I dont have an issues or loyalty to either one. Just wanted to pick the brains of the fellow IDO’ers to see if they have any experience with either. TIA

I just heard on the radio today that Polaris has a recall on their sportsman 850 and 1000s, something about a heat shield melting and causing fires. Maybe worth checking out…
http://www.polaris.com/en-us/company/article/polaris-recalls-sportsman-850-and-1000-atv-due-to-burn-and-fire-hazards

I got a Polaris 850 xp with power steering.. man is that nice.. got handlebar and throttle warmers on it too.. Its a awesome machine. No fires yet either. Has been a great unit so far.

I have owned Outlanders and Sportsmans, but nothing bigger than a 570. I have never had a single issue with my Outlander other than the routine maintenance and a torn CV boot. The Sportsman 570…that’s another story. Melted seat, burned plastics, power steering pump failure, 2 OEM batteries and gas boiling. Machine was purchased new and sold at 800 miles. I could have gotten a lemon, but it was enough for me to dump it and steer clear of Polaris. Also taking into consideration the numerous recalls of Polaris machines for various fire hazards, I really can’t recommend them to anyone. On the plus side, the Polaris had tons of power for the 570 motor and the 850’s are no different.

I now run Can Am and Kawasaki. Both machines are solid and I love them both. Any machine will have it’s quirks, some more than others. Nowadays the cost of replacement parts for all machines are expensive…there’s no way around it. Parts for a 2004 Sportsman versus a 2004 Outlander? The sportsman beats it by hundreds…But any newer machine will be about the same…

I believe you will like both machines once you ride them. It comes down to reliability and price…An equipped sportsman with all the bells and whistles the Outlander XT has will be in the same price range, if not a touch higher…

Should have put this in the ATV forum. We need the traffic there.

Oh forgot about that one….Can one of the Admins move it? Thanks

Yamaha

Not interested in Yammys, I’m sure they make great machines, but just not what I am looking for…..

Owned 2 Polaris 2 suzukis 1 Kawi and 2 can am machines now and the build quality and durability of can am cannot be beat in my opinion. I had to do work on all the other brands listed and never had to do anything except maintenance on my can ams!

Sweet! You made it! I have no input as I own AC an Kawi.
I have ridden my neighbors Canned Ham 800 and 1000 but still dont qualify to help with your question. Good luck. I hear good things about both of those machines from people that dont abuse them.

make sure to buy a fire-suit if you plan on owning a Polaris…imo Can-Am’s are too “gadgety” and have too many electrical parts that can/will break or short out, they also go overkill on the HP which ends up being wasted unless you’re turning 28″ tires in the mud…Yamaha Grizzly is a proven platform and has a bulletproof motor/transmission….

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Yamaha Grizzly is a proven platform and has a bulletproof motor/transmission….

I gotta tell you, after 3 years of Polaris ownership, I wish I’d gone this route. Full disclosure, I do NOT own the model the OP is asking about, I have a Sportsman 500HO

I heard great things about both Yamaha and Kawa, but I just know so many Polaris guys that said they are good. It might be because I’m not a recreational rider, I only use the machine for work and hunting and that’s it, but man I’ve had my machine in the shop at least twice every year since I got it.

Some of it has been wear and tear, but I feel like the stator replacement, the backup recoil start replacement, starter replacement, were all items that should have lasted more than 1500 machine miles. Now the gas gauge has quit working… Again, IMO these are not items that should have failed before 1500 miles.

Grouse

Vote for Polaris…. 2005 700 Sportsman.. never been in the shop. Brother in Law bought a CanAm… he says “never again”. Had lot’s of issues with his in Montana Elk Hunting .. altitude maybe ?

Heed the warnings. Stay away from polaris. I learned the hard way and would NEVER own a polaris product for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a Yamaha, Suzuki,or Honda.

I have owned a 2005 Sportman 500 for 3 years now. It’s a good machine that has treated me well. I have had to replace the starter in it, but that is it other than routine maintenance. I have a few years of trail riding on it and it’s worked great.

We just bought a 2014 Sportman 570 w/EPS (no EBS) for the wife last week, used with 350 miles. I was looking at Outlanders for her has well, but it would have been at least $1k more for a used Outlander. I have only put 10 miles on it so far but it seems like a good machine. I do think I need to replace the factory battery though (common among the factory batteries). I will be putting an AGM in it. The other thing I noticed is that if I coast on this machine and turn somewhat sharp, I get a clicking noise from the driveline. Everything I have read says this is normal and there is no fix, that it’s just gear backlash. It’s a little annoying just because I know about it. My neighbor just bought a 2016 570 with EBS and his does not make the clicking/clunking noise. My 05′ doesn’t either but my 05 has EBS as well.

Another neighbor of my bought a 2015 Outland 850 XT last year, that thing is a sweet ride. He sunk it in water up to the handlebars last summer and had to pay close to $700 for a new starter. The Can-am’s are nice, but their parts are expensive. With that said, when I look to replace my sportsman the Outlander 650xt or 850XT will be the leading machines. The 650XT has 14 hp more than a Grizzly 700, but I really want the 850. The biggest issue is the Outlanders are a lot more expensive than the Sportsman, even in the used market. You probably talking at least 1k-2k difference between a sportsman and Outlander. 2015 is when the new 850 engine came out, and it has more power than the 800’s before it.

Thanks for the replies so far, I recently just got quotes from 2 local dealers on each bike. I had the Can Am 850 XT priced out and a Polaris 850 XP priced out with the same accessories that the Can Am XT has stock. ( Hand guards, front and rear bumpers and winch) When priced apples to apples the can am is actually cheaper, only by about $100, but so there is no money incentive when going either Can Am or Polaris. At this point I am still up in the air maybe leaning a scouch towards the Can AM.

311hemi wrote:

The other thing I noticed is that if I coast on this machine and turn somewhat sharp, I get a clicking noise from the driveline. Everything I have read says this is normal and there is no fix, that it’s just gear backlash.

That noise would be your rear driveshaft moving. Polaris says it is “normal” and nothing to be concerned about. Some have more play than others, but mine never failed me and it REALLY clunked. Try slamming your brakes really hard at 30-40mph…it will sound like it’s going to self destruct…

bigstick56 wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far, I recently just got quotes from 2 local dealers on each bike. I had the Can Am 850 XT priced out and a Polaris 850 XP priced out with the same accessories that the Can Am XT has stock. ( Hand guards, front and rear bumpers and winch) When priced apples to apples the can am is actually cheaper, only by about $100, but so there is no money incentive when going either Can Am or Polaris. At this point I am still up in the air maybe leaning a scouch towards the Can AM.

If the new machines price out the same, I would hands down jump on the Can-am. That v-twin 850 is an awesome wheeler (I would get the power steering as well). With that said, I have not ridden a new Sportsman 850. It surprises me they price out the same, then again I have never looked at new.

404 ERROR wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>311hemi wrote:</div>
The other thing I noticed is that if I coast on this machine and turn somewhat sharp, I get a clicking noise from the driveline. Everything I have read says this is normal and there is no fix, that it’s just gear backlash.

That noise would be your rear driveshaft moving. Polaris says it is “normal” and nothing to be concerned about. Some have more play than others, but mine never failed me and it REALLY clunked. Try slamming your brakes really hard at 30-40mph…it will sound like it’s going to self destruct…

Thanks for the info! Kind of disappointing that it can’t be resolved.

Hands down Can Am!!! Have owned a Polaris but will never again!

They are very ver close to the same price when equipped the same, I am looking at the Can Am XT, vs the Polaris XP. The Poliaris is a basically a bare bones machine, while the Can Am has hand guards, front and rear bumper, hitch receeiver and winch. When I add the same things to the polaris with install, the Polaris is more expensive. Again when loooking at apples to apples Can Am is cheaper….Do any dealer allow a test drive of wheelers? I would almost imagine they wouldnt be williing to let a guy go beat up and test a brand new wheeler, maybe though….

Cannon Powersports let me test drive the Sportsman 570 I had. Got my Can Ams at Tousley, which they cannot allow test drives due to location. Check out Can-ams website. Some dealers do demo days and will contact you when theirs is going on. I had one call me and ask if I was interested in trying and upgrading to a Maverick X3.

can-am.brp.com/off-road/form/request-demo-ride.html

Whats the warranty difference on them?

311hemi wrote:

Whats the warranty difference on them?

I believe they both still offer a 6 month warranty. But I cannot stress enough how big of a roll the DEALER plays in the warranty process. Find a dealer that is willing to battle the company for warranty claims. There are a few dealers in the cities that want nothing to do with warranty claims and will just tell you “It’s not covered”. I had a Polaris dealer tell me my failed power steering unit wasn’t covered at 450 miles because it was “regular wear and tear”. I have also had a different dealer cover a CVT belt under warranty…think about that one…

I would also really think about how you plan on using the 4 wheeler to help determine what model/brand you go with…The big 1,000cc models from Polaris and CanAm are only needed if you’re planning on running huge tires in mudbogs, that much power becomes dangerously unstable in normal use conditions if you’re not a good rider…

You could buy a brand new 2016/2017 Yamaha Kodiak EPS for $7,500 right now and that will handle 98% of whatever you plan on doing just fine.

I’ve rode Polaris most of my life I’m only 23 my dad bought a brand new x2 and that thing has been nothing but a nightmare to work on so that steered me away from Polaris plus my buddy had a 570 and had nothing but issues. That made me stay clear away from them I did research for dang near a year and finally bought a 16 kodiak 700 it has all the power I need for hunting and fishing

JoeMX1825 wrote:

ou could buy a brand new 2016/2017 Yamaha Kodiak EPS for $7,500 right now and that will handle 98% of whatever you plan on doing just fine.

Totally agree. I was pulling a food plot disc that weighs over 500 pounds for hours on end with my 500 Sportsman. I also load out a trailer with 500+++ pounds of firewood or rock and I can pull it anywhere it needs to go.

The only other reason I can think of for going above 700 is high altitude use where the lack of air reduces horsepower output. Otherwise, I just look at how much more complicated things get with engines 800 and above and see a long list of complexities that can only go wrong…

Grouse

404 ERROR wrote:

Cannon Powersports let me test drive the Sportsman 570 I had. Got my Can Ams at Tousley, which they cannot allow test drives due to location. Check out Can-ams website. Some dealers do demo days and will contact you when theirs is going on. I had one call me and ask if I was interested in trying and upgrading to a Maverick X3.

can-am.brp.com/off-road/form/request-demo-ride.html

Caswell’s in Mora mn is a great Can-Am dealer, you can test drive,most knowledgeable techs and service (best prices too ). Hands down best Can-Am dealer out there!

Suzuki King Quad…. they wrote the book! After that Honda. DK.

My new toy. Its yellow but it aint no canned ham.

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